


They Think They Knew You

by Polska_1999



Series: Come Home Safe [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Man 1, Tony is Missing in Afghanistan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 21:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14985638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polska_1999/pseuds/Polska_1999
Summary: Press conferences were never fun, but they were worse when people refused to believe the truth. With everything that had been going on, this one proved too much for Pepper's strong yet cracking resolve.





	They Think They Knew You

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place roughly two days after the first installment of the series. Can be read as a stand-alone.

“Miss Potts! Can you answer some questions regarding-”

“-tell us if Mr Stark is really-”

“-Potts? We all know how he is, so it wouldn’t be surprising-”

“-the public deserves to know-”

“-not declared dead yet?”

“-in Afghanistan? Or is he-”

“-a false story?”

Pepper had thought that she hated dealing with the press and the media before, but nothing in the world could ever compare to the inferno of rage that boiled in her veins now. She pushed through the crowd of reporters, not answering any questions, feeling that the answers she and Obadiah had provided during the actual press conference were enough. They had gone to Las Vegas for this stupid, stupid, stupid press conference for the sole reason of clearing up misconceptions, after all. They had clarified more details about Tony’s status as missing, provided more information whenever possible and applicable, and even called Colonel Rhodes to further solidify their statements’ accuracy and credibility. 

And yet, people still searched for flaws, wanted to prove the truth wrong, sought to defile her and her boss’s image. People continued to see Tony as invincible, it seemed, and thus continued to doubt his appearance. Pepper hated those people. She wanted to kick them with her heels, although in reality she was currently much closer to bursting into tears. Other people thought that faking a disappearance was not above Tony Stark. Pepper didn’t understand those people. She wanted to know how they could ever think that the US Military would let Tony get away with such a stunt, much less participate in it. She knew that people who didn’t fall into those categories existed, but she found that no such people existed in the crowd around her. 

Relief flooded her when she made it to the car. She forced the door open, not caring if she hit a reporter with it in the process. The asshole should have stepped the fuck back and given her some room. She quickly got into the car’s back seat, shutting the door quickly and with force so no one could stop her. 

“Drive,” she ordered, commanding. 

“Where to, Miss Potts?” came the voice of Happy Hogan, kind as always, oblivious to the hell Pepper had just gone through.

“Just drive,” she commanded, her voice sharper, leaving no room for argument. 

She hid her satisfaction as the car’s engine revved up and the vehicle tore away from the crowd, quickly breaking 60 mph along with just about every speeding law in the country. She was unable to care about that last part, though; after being harrassed by idiots who had doubted simple facts that had official statements as backing, she was just happy to leave them far behind in the dust thrown up by the wheels of Tony’s Audi R8. 

Without a specified destination, Happy drove them back towards their hotel, occasionally glancing at Pepper either over his shoulder or in his mirror. At one point, with Pepper still absolutely certain that they were heading back to the hotel, Happy suddenly took a turn off of the main streets, leaving Pepper a bit confused. Even more surprising was when Happy stopped the car along a stretch of well-lit but otherwise empty road. Pepper made sure her confusion was very visible across her face when Happy turned to face her. 

“Why have we stopped?” She asked, worried as hundreds of possible situations flashed through her mind. She pushed those away, reminding herself that this was Happy, that this was someone she could trust.

Happy shrugged. “Thought you could use some moments away from the public eye, Miss Potts,” he admitted. Neither of them needed to drive by the hotel to know that there would undoubtedly be news reporters crawling around the entire building. No matter how hard they tried to get some privacy, someone always slipped up or gave in to a monetary offer and told the world where they were staying. It was impossible to have a private life, but such was the risk of working for Stark Industries. (Lesson of the day: read the damned fine print.) Shame that people couldn’t respect an employee’s privacy when the company CEO was kidnapped, though. 

“Thank you, Happy,” Pepper said, getting a bit choked up at the care Happy showed. 

“It’s no trouble, Miss Potts,” Happy assured her. “It’s what, well…” Happy looked away, likely beating himself up over his words. He continued the thought, his voice quieter and his gaze focused out the front of the car and on the distant horizon, “it’s what the boss would have done.”

Yes, Happy was right. Pepper knew that, too. She practically heard Tony’s voice in her mind as she thought over the past few minutes of the car ride.  _ “Happy, turn right. Yes, here and now.”  _ Then, once they were on the side street,  _ “Pull over.” _ What would he have said next, through? Would he have turned to face her with that one expression that Pepper could never figure out? Would he have ordered her to tell him what was bothering her? Would he have refused to let Happy continue driving until Pepper fessed up? Would he have ended the conversation with the usual  _ "That would be all, Miss Potts," _ and that smile that always made her remember why she didn’t quit her job when things got rougher?

She was vaguely aware of Happy making a noise that sounded like a muttered curse. He turned off the car, turning the key and pocketing it before getting out of the vehicle, grabbing a small pack of tissues on his way. He walked to Pepper’s door and opened it, leaning down so that his face could be more level with hers, so he could lean into the car and avoid hitting his head against the doorframe. He gently shushed Pepper, and his attempts at calming her are what made her finally realize that she had tears travelling down her face. 

Pathetic. How fucking  _ pathetic _ . She was crying over her boss, who wasn’t even confirmed dead yet. If Tony were here, he’d… but he wasn’t here, and that was the problem, that he may never be there again. That she’d never see that stupid grin light across his face; that she’d never get to show up at his place, ready to give him an earful for being out late drinking, only to find that he ended up having a caffeine crash from spending all night in the shop rather than in the bar; that she’d never get to see the joy light up his eyes whenever he managed to make a major breakthrough on a project, an emotion so pure that she let him get away with missing a meeting or two in favor of listening to him describe and geek out over his newest achievement… 

She was brought back to reality from her increasingly darker thoughts when Happy dabbed a tissue against her cheeks, attempting to clear away her tears and do some degree of damage control to avoid a situation where the tears would completely ruin her makeup. This wasn’t part of his job; this was him helping a coworker — no, this was him helping a friend. Sure, they worked for the same boss, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, couldn’t care for one another. 

Happy stayed with her, calming her and wiping her tears for as long as he was needed. Their boss’s disappearance made this a difficult time for them both, but given how Pepper’s schedule had revolved around Tony’s lack of one, then her life was thrown completely upside down by his vanishing. Happy could easily find another job — even if it didn’t pay well, he could continue being a driver or bodyguard. But Pepper? Becoming Tony’s PA had been a rare, life-changing opportunity and experience. With her financial security now gone and her future employment uncertain… Happy couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. 

After what could have been minutes or hours or eternities, Pepper’s tears stopped flowing, but whether it was because she was no longer sad or because she ran out of tears was less certain. Happy and Pepper stayed there a bit longer, two souls damaged by the reckless wreck that was Tony Stark, finding comfort with one another’s understanding. 

They returned to the hotel much later than originally planned. Pepper was glad that Happy hadn’t asked about the press conference and reporters. Perhaps she had been wrong to say that people beyond the categories she named didn’t exist at that time — Happy was understanding and kind, and unlike many, he knew Tony was only human. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, looks like this is a series after all. I'll be writing more for this whenever I'm bored and if the weather is too terrible to do anything else, so no promises on any semblance of an update schedule.  
> Comments are very appreciated, along with kudos and bookmarks! Thanks for reading!


End file.
